2022 Writers Guild Awards: The 74th Annual Winners

Writers Guild Awards

The WGA East and WGA West announced the winners of the 2022 Writers Guild Awards during a virtual ceremony hosted by Ashley Nicole Black.

Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the winners of the 2022 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories during a joint, virtual ceremony.

CODA follows through on its recent SAG and PGA wins with a win at WGA tonight. However, the WGA Awards have strict rules and some Oscar-nominated screenplays end up not being eligible. CODA won tonight over Dune, Nightmare Alley, tick, tick…BOOM! and West Side Story. However, Siân Heder’s screenplay will go up against Dune, Drive My Car, The Lost Daughter, and The Power of the Dog at the Oscars.

Don’t Look Up won tonight over Being the Ricardos, The French Dispatch, King Richard, and Licorice Pizza. Belfast and The Worst Person in the World will be replacing Being the Ricardos and The French Dispatch next Sunday at the Oscars.

FILM WINNERS

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Don’t Look Up, Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota; Netflix

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA, Screenplay by Siân Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Exposing Muybridge, Written by Marc Shaffer; Inside Out Media

TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS

DRAMA SERIES

Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Jon Brown, Jamie Carragher, Ted Cohen, Francesca Gardiner, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO/HBO Max

COMEDY SERIES

Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max

NEW SERIES

Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max

ORIGINAL LONG FORM

Mare of Easttown, Written by Brad Ingelsby; HBO/HBO Max

ADAPTED LONG FORM

Maid, Written by Bekah Brunstetter, Marcus Gardley, Michelle Denise Jackson, Colin McKenna, Molly Smith Metzler, Inspired by the book by Stephanie Land; Netflix

ORIGINAL & ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

Debunking Borat, Written by Robyn Adams, Paul Hogan, Jack Youngelson; Prime Video

ANIMATION

“Planteau” (Tuca & Bertie), Written by Lisa Hanawalt; Cartoon Network

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Retired Janitors of Idaho” (Succession), Written by Tony Roche & Susan Soon He Stanton; HBO/HBO Max

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Alone At Last” (The Great), Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES

Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

Full Frontal Wants to Take Your Guns, Head Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Mike Drucker Writers: Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Miles Kahn, Chris Thompson, Holly Walker, Alison Zeidman Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Sahar Rizvi Special Material by Michael Rhoa; TBS

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Baking It, Writers: Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Niccole Thurman; Peacock

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer: Ron Carlivati Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock, Elizabeth Snyder; NBC

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“The Tale of the Midnight Magic” (Are You Afraid of the Dark?), Written by JT Billings and Alex Ebel; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

“The Healthcare Divide” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“Citizen Hearst, Part One” (American Experience), Written by Gene Tempest; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“The Unequal Recession” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Handcuffed to the Truth” (60 Minutes) Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“‘Men’s Rights Asians’ Think This Is Their Moment,” Written by Aaron Mak; Slate.com

RADIO/AUDIO WINNERS

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“One Year: 1977 ‘The Miracle Cure,’” Written by Evan Chung; Slate Podcast

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“Surfside Condo Collapse” (CBS World News Roundup Late Edition), Written by Kathleen M. Biggins; CBS News Radio

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“The Tasmanian Devil Tattoo” (Decoder Ring), Written by Benjamin Frisch; Slate Podcast

PROMOTIONAL WINNER

ON-AIR PROMOTION

“Celebrating Powerful Female Leads: Trailers for The Equalizer & Why Women Kill,” Written by Molly Neylan; CBS

The 2022 Writers Guild Awards virtual ceremony was hosted by comedian-writer-producer Ashley Nicole Black. Presenters included: SAG Award-nominated actor and comedian Diedrich Bader, Young Artists Award-nominated actress Jaylen Barron, Primetime Emmy-nominated comedian and actress Vanessa Bayer, Primetime Emmy-nominated and SAG Award-winning actor Nicholas Braun, comedian-writer-actor Eugene Cordero, Academy Award-nominated and SAG Award-winning actress and singer Ariana DeBose, Tony Award-winning and NAACP Award-winning actor, writer, and director Colman Domingo, Hollywood Critics Association TV Award-winning and Primetime Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder, Primetime Emmy-winning writer-actor-comedian Dana Gould, SAG Award-wining and Primetime Emmy-winning actor Tony Hale, Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor Chris Hayes, MTV Movie Award-nominated actor and comedian David Koechner, Writers Guild Award-winning and Primetime Emmy-winning comedian, writer, and late night host Seth Meyers, NAACP Image Award-nominated and Daytime Emmy-nominated actor and comedian Kel Mitchell, SAG Award-nominated and Primetime Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Paul Reiser, GLAAD Vito Russo Award-winning actor and activist George Takei, Behind the Voice Actors Award-winning actress Alanna Ubach, and comedian, creator, writer and actress Gina Yashere.

In addition, Barry Jenkins received WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award for the episode “Chapter 9: Indiana Winter” of the series The Underground Railroad (Teleplay by Barry Jenkins). The Selvin Award is given to the script that best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties that are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.

Legendary late night host, writer, and comedian Dick Cavett received WGAE’s Evelyn F. Burkey Award, awarded to a person or organization whose contributions have brought honor and dignity to writers everywhere.

The 2022 Writers Guild Awards were held during a virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 20, 2022.

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Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.